Drukte in een haven 1826 - 1833

Johannes Christiaan Schotel created this print called 'Drukte in een haven', or 'harbor hustle', in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It shows a busy Dutch port, with people embarking and disembarking from ships. It’s an image that gives us insight into the economic life of the Netherlands at this time. We see in this image how ships facilitated trade and the movement of people, and the hustle and bustle emphasizes how important maritime activity was to the Dutch economy. Schotel specialized in marine paintings, reflecting the prominence of maritime trade in Dutch society and culture. Prints like this one were important visual documents, circulating images of Dutch life, trade and society in the early 19th century. By looking at cargo records and municipal archives, we can understand how harbor scenes like this one connect to broader social and economic trends.